<--Back
| Home | Index
| Next-->
DTP: The
Beatles of the Computer Age
No aspect of the personal
computer revolution has been as significant as DeskTop
Publishing. DTP has turned out to be for personal
computers what the Beatles were for rock n' roll: Big
Money. What is it about DTP that has made it so big? Some
would say it was because of the ease of use of the
Macintosh, or, following the Beatles analogy,
accessibility. While I agree that is a very big part of
the picture, there are a few other factors which need to
be entered into the equation.
Let It
Be (Words of Wisdom)
The first and most
visceral aspect of DTP's popularity has to do with the
power of the written word. We are so influenced by the
written word because it used to be only scholarly people
knew how to write. Only the best works of the scholars
were chosen for reproduction. Only the finest and most
powerful words were worthy of the laborious task of
making a book. Books were rare. The words had to hold
truth for those who produced them and those who read
them. If it was written, it was true.
Even after Guttenburg
invented the printing press and more and more people
learned to read and write, it still took a lot of money
and time to undertake production of a publication. Lead
for type and pulp for paper were expensive and
prohibitive elements of making a book not to mention the
press itself. Remember, too, that the money and power
still resided with the ruling elite who were careful to
control what was and what was not printed for public
consumption. TOP END
Revolution
#9
Today, anyone who can
afford a car can produce their own book. They can make it
look as professionally rendered as the most expensive
publications on the planet. If they don't like what they
have read or have been lead to believe, they can now
produce an argument in a publication which rivals in
appearance any other manuscript.
More than ever before, we
are presented with printed matter which is equal on a
visual level. A local organization can produce literature
on a modest budget which rivals a Madison Avenue
production. When holding two pieces side by side, which
is the truth? TOP END
Back
In The USSR
Thoughts themselves may be
truth or lies. Words convey thoughts, and typography
dresses words. Appearance alone is not enough to carry a
message to its intended audience, but even knowing this
we are fooled by our conditioning throughout history. The
'60s expression, "The medium IS the message"
could seemingly never be more true.
It's the same reason a
lawyer makes his client cut his hair and wear a suit to
court. Dressed this way even a serial killer can look
like the boy next door. Everyone knows you can't judge a
book by its cover. Further, you can't judge a publication
by its typography. Every aspect of a printed piece must
now be subject to scrutiny.
Don't get me wrong, this
is GOOD! It was never any different. The fact we know to
look for the difference between books based on who wrote
them means freedom of thought. It does require
responsibility and effort.
Think of the impact DTP
can have in former Iron Curtain countries which have had
thoughts and ideas repressed. Control of the media was
even widely used in the United States until just 30 years
ago. I have often wondered what effect DTP has had in
war-torn areas like Central America. Has the look of the
propaganda improved? Is some freedom fighter churning out
views in opposition to the powers that be?
But delivering a message
is only a part of the reason behind the scope of DTP.
There are other aspects of the genre which have
contributed to its gigantic size. TOP END
Maxwell's
Silver Hammer
Never before has there
been such a tool as the computer so readily available to
the common man. But PCs had been around for over 10 years
before this revolution. Maybe its versatility was
actually an obstacle in disguise. Perhaps the reason DTP
has reached such heights is because it took the universe
of possible uses of a personal computer and honed in on
one specific area.
Give a person a hammer and
its use is fairly evident. You hold one end and beat
things with the other. Picture a hammer. The most common
form of hammer is for nails. An extension was added to
not only pound nails but remove them. And so we have the
modern day hammer we all visualize when we hear the word.
You may have heard the
story about how after the first hammer was discovered,
people went around looking for other problems to fix with
the same tool; even problems which did not have solutions
well suited to being fixed with a hammer. The computer is
a tool as well, but one which has no such limitation of
use. It can be a whole toolbox of things when it comes to
making a livelihood. You can even make NEW tools with
this tool.
I use my computer to do
accounting, sales forecasting, letter writing, faxing,
presentations, and e-mail communication. All this without
mention of doing DTP for my clients which is how I make a
living. The point is, the computer is SO versatile it
presents too many options for its use.
DeskTop Publishing
corralled the potential of computing into an arena where
users could best envision putting it to use. TOP END
Strawberry
Fields Forever
Part of the beauty of the
essence of DTP is that it provides a focus for computer
use without being too restricting. It allows for almost
unlimited applications within its realm.
You can use it to produce
internal and external sources of information from memos
to newsletters. DTP can be applied to making invitations
for your daughter's birthday party or your company's 10th
Anniversary Dinner. It can generate labels for 10 disks
or 5,000 addresses for the latest mailing--which also can
be produced on the same equipment.
It's one of those things
that you never realized you needed as much as you did
until you had it. Like fax machines and mobile phones,
the ability to create professional looking printed
material turned into a necessity. Even things that were
never typeset before beg to be dressed up.TOP END
Come
Together
I get the feeling as I am
writing this much of what I have said you already know.
That's a major contributor to the success of DTP right
there.
The Beatles could never
have been so outrageously popular unless the hoarding
masses were ready to recognize the message in their
music. They had the extraordinary timing to voice the
thoughts that were on the tips of the tongues of a whole
generation. Maybe even more truthful was their ability to
compose songs ripe for interpretation by each listener.
Meaning became injected where it was not even intended.
DeskTop Publishing
represents a coalescence of technology, information, and
self-empowerment. Its success relied on enough people
being in the same place at the same time with the same
ability to recognize its potential. People seized it,
personalized it, and put it to use to serve their own
purposes. Nobody could have imagined it because everyone
had to think of it at the same time. TOP
Bill Bricker
specializes in information architecture and computer
illustration. He designed the logo for Todd Rundgren's
Utopia reunion tour.
        
<--Back | Home
| Index | Next-->
|
